The LUX MARE Story

The passion: A serious love affair with the Algarve.

What do we look for when we travel? The freshness of discovering, the unknown, some strong emotions, surely. But even the most restless souls often seek a sense of immense peace, fullness, and finally being in tune with the world.

When we discover a refuge where this harmony is achieved, this is where we want to stay. To live. To meditate. To enjoy the moment. The story of LUX MARE begins precisely when a Norwegian couple starts an unceasing quest for charm and dazzle during their trips through Portugal for several decades.

Both being free-spirited, passionate about outdoor activities, the wild nature and the vast blue sea, the narrative of this love grew, until it found a reflection in the idyllic waters that bathe the Algarve.

LUX MARE emerges from a very strong emotional relationship with the Portuguese and, in particular, with the people of the Algarve, with its cultural heritage, natural beauty, arts and gastronomy. It is this full and privileged way to get to know the Algarve that the hosts now wish to share with you.

Because living the dream is possible.

“The villas nestle up to each other and fit snugly on the land. Only the horizontal glass lines are seen to frame a succession of views that are modified into an almost perfect symbiosis: the surrounding green, the contours of the cliff, the immensity of the sea and, then, the sky.”

– Mário Martins, Architect –

Villas that embrace the infinite

Is it possible to have a dialogue with the house in which we live? Of course, it is. The LUX MARE villas (Casa L and Casa M) talk to us in a very specific dialect: a language of light and shapes that are simultaneously fuelled by the aesthetics from the North of Europe and the heat from the Algarve.

The relationship with the community has been a fundamental part of the architectural plan right from the start, and that is why they wish to use local raw materials and suppliers perfectly suited the creative and environmental vision of a “local boy”, the architect Mário Martins.

The sustainability and the subtle setting on the slope that houses them are the alma mater of the two villas – two continents adrift, albeit well aware of their anchor in an immense sea of light, which come closer then separate without ever really departing like an elegant dance in the wild.

Casa M, located closer to the sea and at a lower level on the land, is submerged by the surrounding garden – the roof is landscaped, so that Casa L, further back, may benefit from an endless view. The elegant lines, the simplicity of the white walls and materials such as wood and glass, uniting the energy balance. This forms the concept, determining a sense of harmony with the surrounding environment.

As far as the eye can see, green and blue – the sky and the Atlantic – predominate, transforming the simple experience of being into a breath-taking and unforgettable occurrence.

Mário Martins

An architect who knows and understands well the soul of the Algarve and has turned his vision of sea and light into reality.

Mário Martins was born in Lagos, a city where he has been implementing, with greater incidence, his brand in contemporary architecture. With his creativity, he seeks to respect people and places, past and present, always considering balance and sustainability.

With his company – Mário Martins Atelier – assumes very diverse projects of construction or requalification, from public equipment to private dwellings. Today, due to the work he has been developing, Mário is considered a notable figure in contemporary Algarve architecture. His projects have been widely disseminated and awarded internationally, finding an echo in the current challenges of thinking architecture.

In recent years he has published several books with selected works, which had great demand: “Houses Mário Martins” (2011), “Mário Martins 1 + 1” (2012) and “Mário Martins – Projects” (2015).

João Mariano

A personal, subjective approach that reveals details, sensations, forms and emotions that further accentuate the elegance of the project.

Having a prosperous and diversified career in photography, João Mariano is a son of the Algarve, and his work is shaped by the people and culture of the Costa Vicentina, which he calls his “laboratory of emotions”. It is this region that inspires him the most and awakes the creativity in his eyes, it’s his atelier. As a result of this profound connection, he has published several books that celebrate the traditions, knowledge of the land and the sea, as well as the landscape and the existence of the southwestern Algarve.

Photographer and publisher, he lives between Lisbon and Aljezur, the village where, together with his wife, he founded the image and communication agency 1000olhos.

Fernando Guerra

To capture the architectural essence of LUX MARE, a challenge presented to Fernando Guerra, an acclaimed architectural photographer.

Born in Lisbon, Fernando Guerra graduated in Architecture, having practised for some years in Macau. It would be, however, in the architecture photography that he would come to follow a pioneering course. In collaboration with his brother, he created the studio FG + SG, which is responsible for much of the diffusion of contemporary Portuguese architecture in the last decades.

The look of Fernando Guerra is, thus, a double look: that of the photographer who speaks the same language of what he photographs. As if it were a new way to construct — or reconstruct — what was built. His works have been published in the most prestigious architectural magazines, and as a photographer, he has collaborated with renowned Portuguese and international architects.

Bimering Spaces

Bimering Spaces specialises in photo and video for high-end residential, real estate, architecture, and interior design.
Combining the most advanced gear and techniques, allowing for realistic, and yet gorgeous artistic images.
Lux Mare’s villas are stunning and luxurious, and so the photos and videos produced had to convey that same feeling.

Luis Bujalance

Bujalance inhabits LUX MARE through his paintings — in Casa M, we can find the largest private collection of the artist’s works.

Born in Malaga, Spain, Luis Bujalance is a plastic artist whose work is largely inspired by nature as a way of connection. His paintings and installations invite us to take a deeper look while listening and feeling the resemblance to nature even when surrounded by another environment. It’s this journey of the senses that defines the relationship of LUX MARE with Bujalance’s paintings. His pieces bring a dimension of strength and profoundness to the architectural elements, creating a place where nature makes a new journey.

Cookie and Privacy Settings

How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab.

Click to enable/disable essential site cookies.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visist to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Click to enable/disable Google Webfonts.

Google Map Settings:

Click to enable/disable Google Maps.

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha.

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Click to enable/disable video embeds.

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.